Targeting content

Office 2007

Updated: August 30, 2007

Applies To: Office SharePoint Server 2007

Updated: 2007-08-30

Content in Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 can be targeted so that only users in relevant audiences can view the content. To target content, you must first create audiences. Then, from the properties of a list or Web Part, you can select an audience to use when targeting that list or Web Part.

Audiences are defined by one or more rules, which can specify that users be identified by membership in SharePoint groups, by membership in distribution lists or security groups, or according to the values of properties in user profiles imported from directory services or the Business Data Catalog.

Audiences must be compiled before they can be used in targeting. Compilation identifies membership in an audience by crawling the most recently imported data from directory services. Users that match audience rules are included in the audience. When users attempt to view a targeted list or Web Part, their identity is authenticated and the content is only displayed for members of an audience. Users who are not targeted are not authorized to see the content, and it is not displayed.

Any user with at least View Only permission to the Shared Services Administration site can be granted the Manage Audiences permission. A user with this permission, known as an audiences manager, can create and compile audiences, and modify audience membership.

Even without the Manage Audiences permission enabled, users with access to the Shared Services Administration page can target trusted My Site host locations links, personalization site links, and published links to Office client applications. For more information about how targeted links are displayed, see Manage targeted links.

Content in SharePoint lists and Web Parts can be targeted by site administrators and other users with permissions to modify lists and Web Parts by using the audiences created by audiences managers.